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Monday, October 27, 2014

So we are doing a DT call....Would you like to be a Designer at the OCC?

To help you decide, here is some information about 'behind the scenes' at the OCC...

1. I run the OCC in 6 month terms. If you were to join us, you would begin in January
2015. The minimum commitment is for 6 months - You would have the option to stay on for a further 6 months in
June 2015.

2. The DT members provide one piece
of work per
month. They upload a picture of it for the OCC along with a small
piece of writing and they must feature a post about how it was made on their own blog.

3. Team members host the challenges. This requires extra work but it is optional

3. There are no visiting and commenting duties unless you are hosting a challenge

4. There will be opportunities to work with Sponsor Products - this does require extra work but it is optional

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At Our Creative Corner we are all very keen to share inspiration and creativity

with everyone - so a passion for artistic crafting is definitely the main requirement for our DT....

We don't 'do' just one style of crafting at OCC - and because of this you should be willing to step out of your comfort zone and attempt a new style occasionally.

The OCC has always been a place where crafting creativity has no limitations, so we welcome new DT members who can bring unique creativity to our audience......

So is being part of the Our Creative Corner Design Team something you would be interested in?

If so then please send us an email with a link to your blog......and you might be here with us in January!

Saturday, October 25, 2014

Erm...of course I mean "Servus and welcome back" to our third Sponsor Spotlight that's to be shone on some of the fab products you can get at

who are giving away a $25 voucher to one randomly drawn entry from this month's challenge "go RUST-ic!" (which is open for three more days)...so there is still a chance to join in and maybe even win! ;)

Claudia here to show you a project I made using some of the stuff Linda offers at her fab store, like Tim Holtz stamp sets, Claudine Hellmuth matte medium and Ranger products (crackle paint, archival ink, Distress markers, Distress inks).

As there is only one more week until Halloween, I decided to create a selfmade tombstone frame showcasing some of the adorable "Carved Halloween" stamps from the new Tim Holtz collection which I fell in love with at first sight!

Most of the stuff is available at Linda's Funkie Junkie Boutique - so have fun creating your own tombstone frames!

1. On a piece of corrugated card sketch the irregular shape of a tombstone and cut out using a carpet knife or scalpel. The height of my tombstone frame is about 28 inches and the width measures 7 inches at its widest (which is on the base).

Freehand cut out the inner part so you get your frame. There's no need to work very neatly - the more irregular our frame looks, the better!

2. Lay your frame onto some thin cardstock and draw around its shape. Cut out and glue behind your frame using double sided sticky tape in some areas.

As you can see I flipped my tombstone frame over as I liked it better this way.

3. Stamp two sheets of yellowed paper with the stamps from the Reflections stamp set using black jet archival ink and let dry.

4. Stamp the labels stamp from the Poisonous stamp set and cut out the single labels.

5. Tear the two stamped text sheets to stripes (one horizontally and one vertically).

6. Using the matte medium and your torn paper strips cover your tombstone frame working from the outside to the inside.

Make sure you glue the overlap securely to the back of your frame.

When glueing on the paper pieces, cover some of the areas on top with random strokes of the matte medium but do NOT cover the whole surface!!! We want the matte medium brush strokes to build a resist that will become visible with one of the following steps!

9. Once it has all dried work in some black soot Distress ink with the blending tool.

Then wipe off the excess with a baby wipe. As we covered only some of the areas with the matte medium, the black soot ink will seep into those areas that are still uncovered. Wiping over these areas "activates" the distress ink and darkens it, whereas it will take away the distress ink from those areas that resist (due to the matte medium).

See how the brushstrokes become visible? I love the randomness that is to this technique as it creates really cool texture:

Also the reverse letters from the "reflections" stamps don't draw too much attention to them as they become more of a texture than text (which was why I decided to use them instead of normal script stamps).

10. Repeat this step using "peeled paint" Distress ink this time.

11. Dab some black soot Distress paint onto your craft sheet and apply it to the inner and outer edges of the frame using your fingertip. Be brave: try to work as unevenly as you dare to! Even visible fingerprints are welcome! ;)

Wipe off any excess on top of the crackled areas using a baby wipe. Let dry.

13. Glue your cut out images in place using sticky foam pads.
Blend a piece of white cardstock with Distress inks peeled paint and black soot and stamp your quote onto it. Cut out single word panels and glue in place using the matte medium.

14. Take the black soot Distress marker and blend in the word panels by drawing a thin outline and smudging it with your fingertips. This will make your word panels pop from the background:

See the difference that makes?

To help the cut out stamped images blend in I outlined some of the glued on panels and labels with the white Sharpie. It is just a tiny detail but does the trick on holding all the elements together.

15. Stamp the spider image onto a piece of acetate, let dry and cut out. Glue behind the top panel and fix that to your frame with sticky foam pads. The irregular shape of the top panel is the result of tearing it to shape instead of cutting.

I coloured my spider from the back using a white Sharpie so it became more visible.

Finished!

So that's my tombstone frame with a lot of messy and "carved" Tim Holtz goodness on it!

I would really like to encourage you on cutting your own shapes and having your "traces of the handmade and therefore irregular and imperfect" become a visible part of your artwork! It adds such a lot of depth and personality to your creations! And it also is what makes your pieces inimatable one of a kind originals!

I hope you enjoyed today's spotlight and leave you with some close ups and the reminder of our actual challenge that is still open until October 28th, 23:55 o' clock! Have a lot of fun creating and messing! Claudia xxx

Wednesday, October 22, 2014

This month we are shining the spotlight on the winner of the 'Summertime' Challenge that was hosted by me!

Our Creative Corner is so pleased to be welcoming Bonnie as this months Top Talent!!!

Bonnie has just become a second time winner here at Our Creative Corner. She won Claudia's Autumnal inspiration Challenge - so you will see her here again next month!

What a treat!!!!!

Before we show you Bonnie's stunning creation, let's just spend
some time finding out a little bit more about this lovely lady.....

1. Where do you live?

I live in the USA in the western part of North Carolina in the Blue Ridge Mountains… right next to South Carolina… My Husband and I moved here 14 years ago to get away from the hub bub of New Jersey.. but we lived in the same mountain range up there…just a few 700 miles north of here. I grew up in NJ… raised our children in NJ and lived there most of my life… I have traveled a lot in the USA but have never flown in an airplane… and have NO DESIRE TO EITHER… I am a very grounded person…

We had always wanted a farm and so we packed everything we had into two trailers (one for us… and one for the Belgium horse) and we took off… we were headed to New Mexico… but when we saw these mountains… our hearts got hung up here… we love it here… these mountains are special and we love the energy around them. So we are hanging our hearts here for the time being…

2. How would you describe your art for the general public audience if they have never seen it before?

COLORFUL, and sometimes a little WILD… as I love it when I can get wild with things… Art should be FREE… and to be free you need to let go of all inhibitions… that is art… my art.. I do love to do all kinds of art though…

If I told you all the things I have done or do.. you might not believe me… but here it goes…

I love to spin wool, dye it, knit with it, felt it or just have it in piles to admire… I also love to draw, paint, Do Zentangle, create with paper. I use to produce a line of silver wrapped jewelry that I sold wholesale,
and created a whole line of special purses and beaded bags. Sewing, quilting, and creating new things from old things… in clothes and in other art forms… I love to make books, scrapping and also creative books… I have
published over 18 books of my art; two being collaged cookbooks and 16
or so of my doodles and drawings. So many of the things I love in my home are things that I love to
create, like a huge basket collection… so I had to learn how to make
baskets too when I was a teenager… and so I teach basket making of
different fibers. I am very prolific and love to create all the time… Doing Multi Media pieces and also total canvases covered in the old oil
paints… or acrylic… just love it all.. you will tell my art by the
colors and the love popping out of it…

3.
Please tell us about any items in your craft stash that you can't be
without? - What is your favourite 'must have' item for crafting?

This is not a fair question as I would not choose to have only one ‘MUST HAVE’ item to have… BUT if I had to choose it would be white cardstock, pen and pencil… so I could create more and more things with that…

also could I have some dyes …

and how about a few die cuts…

and some rubberstamps,

and also lets not forget some ink pads… LOL..

.......did I hear you say ONE ITEM???

No way…??? Well then my one item would be my studio… the whole thing… I love it and take pride in being in it and using it everyday that I live… I enjoy it greatly…it is ME…

4. What three things do you think of most each day?

1.What we are going to eat for the day to keep our bodies nourished and in good health… we are very aware of keeping our body in the best health possible. That is body, mind and spirit…. it is first thing on our list every day… Meditate, plan meals and do chores is the first order of the day.

2. While all this is going on… my STUDIO is SCREAMING at me… HURRY up and GET in here… so I have to say that is the next thing I think about.. What am I going to do today to create a better feeling among people on this EARTH WALK…

3. This might sound funny… but the next thing of priority is “What colors are needed to be used… to bring this about…” As I stated color is very important in my art… and my life… I love color… In my art and my blogging, I try to send love to all people in need of LOVE… and I do that off and on all day long… I love people… people in my daily life are no different than my blog land friends, or anyone else… I love them all.. and respect their feelings. So I do think of people all day long.

5. How do you spend your time when not crafting?

I have to say I craft 99% of all my life… I love to cook… and create new recipes… we are on a gluten free, organic diet and so we try to eat as much raw food and also good foods as possible… so I create all the time… I also love to knit my hubbies socks… he is totally spoiled and I love it… Most of my friends are craft oriented people as well.. .so I spend time with them.. .and lets not forget, I do teach at least about 35 hours a week… so it doesn’t leave much time… to do a lot of “personal things.” I love to spend a lot of time talking with my husband, planning out future projects for the farm and our lives… if is always fun… we have been married for over 45 years and still love to talk about things… all kinds of things.. and learn and read together… a big plus in our lives… We also love to take rides to explore new things in our area… so that is a real exciting thing.. that is becoming a thing almost of the past, with the price of fuel.. .but we still try to get in a trip a week… at some time…

6. Do you have any personal goals you have attained or would like to attain in the future?

The future… I would love to spend more time with our grandsons… one lives in NJ… one in NC… and would love to have the family all back together in one area… attainable???? You never know… but I am putting this out to the universe and maybe it will happen… magic and miracles do happen. I teach classes now all the time… and love the gals that come to play and learn. Would love to have total week-end get away’s, publish more articles in art magazines and also create all kinds of books for others to learn from… Generally just more of what I am doing now… I love it all. I am living the future everyday in as many ways as possible…

7. Any inspirational words you can share?Always make sure that your “TO DO” list is very long… and that you always have something else ready to start, when what you are working on is done..

Always be ready to enjoy and live each and every second of your life to the fullest.

And do it all in full LOVE from your HEART CENTER.

I
just would like to say THANK YOU to Laura for choosing my work as a
winning piece for a challenge. Being in the arts all my life has been a
total enjoyment and thrill and to be able to share it with the world is
very exciting. Thank you to everyone at Our CREATIVE CORNER
for this opportunity to speak out and allow you into my space a little
more… I love it all.. thanks..... I have been on Design Teams
in the past, also recently have been a Guest Designer on quite a few
different challenges, but I have to say that this one has been the one
with the most FREEDOM to create as I do....I have had a lot of fun
making this project.

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You are very welcome Bonnie! We are so glad that you had a great time being here with us - It has been an honour to have you here as our Top Talent. You have been such a star and I look forward to hosting your Top Talent Spotlight next month... ....now it is time to shine the spotlight on this month's Top Talent creation - let's see what Bonnie made for us!

This project started off with being a book... and turned into a box with sections of art work, using a letter from the word NATURE to be the focal point of that particular section.

I have over 800 pictures of this project.... oh yes, did I mention that I love to take pictures too.. LOL... but I am only putting a few up here for you to see... you will have to go to my blog to see all the rest of them...

This is one of the sides of the cubbie that holds my art... of course it had to be created in a very special way too... all the sides and top are decorated with nature.

Oh the cubbie is covered in BARK that a kind birch tree gave to my Daughter in Law. She carried the bark in her arms for over a mile hike down the mountain and then it was a given to me as a gift. I love gifts like this. Thanks Casey

You can see the word NATURE spelled out here on the 'sections' of this project. I didn't have the letters A or R as they had been used on another project. so I used an upside down V and for the A and the & for the letter R... well you have to creative on all levels... and allow humor to run free too...

When you look at the front of the cubbie box... you will see the sections, waiting to be viewed... which you will be able to see that all on my blog. I have also made it multi layered on my blog, so there is a quick see version and also an intense one... with all the pictures of the project being made etc....

When you pull a letter out or a section of the cubbie , you will find a pocket on the front. The pocket has a picture like the one above on the front of it... and in the pocket a tag... This whole project is all about making rubber stamps that suit your needs... I wanted a CROW stamp that was uniquely my own CROW... that would MOVE... and would CROW like things... that is what I did... and also a few more stamps too... and I used lots of techniques through out the entire project.There are six sections... all different in all ways..

When you open the section up, there is another piece of art on each side... they are naturally all very different, using different techniques and venues...

Here is one that I created with a few of the crows, on a limb with all different squares in the background. On the limb, a few leaves from another rubberstamp... what fun I had. There are 12 different pages to view some that open into another entirely different area....

I also love to create all different kinds of things... so I had to make a face from air dried clay... and make a fun key for the outside of the project...

Sharing is a great experience... and on my blog I will show you a few other projects that I have created with the stamps simply created and used.....

This is just so amazing Bonnie! So many perfect details and it is obvious that you have put your heart into every part of this....Your work is always so wonderful and so very unique. It is such an honour to feature this gorgeous creation at Our Creative Corner.

Thank you for being such a wonderful Top Talent in the spotlight!

If you want to see more photos and details of this wonderful
creation and find out how it was made, then please go along to Bonnie's blog and say "Hello" - I am sure she would love to see you there!

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Would you like to see your work here in the 'Our Creative Corner' Spotlight?

You could be here as our 'Top Talent' with the spotlight shining on something you have created!

All you have to do is enter my Go-Rustic challenge and if you are picked as the winner you will be invited to appear here as our Top Talent and have the spotlight shine on something you have made. We will also ask you some questions so that we can be nosey find out more about you....

You could also be one of our Top 3 and you could even be the lucky winner of a $25 voucher to spend at the Funkie Junkie Boutique - a prize very kindly donated by Linda -The Funkie Junkie......

There is one more week of the Go-Rustic challenge left, so why not have fun creating!

There's a $25 gift voucher at the Funkie Junkie Boutique on offer as the prize - so come and play along with our Go Rust-ic! challenge theme.

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I love The Funkie Junkie Boutique. As well as fantastic prices on products from Ranger and Tim Holtz, and lots of other great companies too, Linda Coughlin (a.k.a. the Funkie Junkie herself) also has a whole range of really funkie (of course) vintage charms and fabrics and other goodies that you don't find everywhere.

Once dry and crackly, I used Distress Stains in the same colours to create the depth of colour and highlight the crackles.

Having not quite lined up the stencil in exactly the same place, the Distress Stains seeped into the card in some places and met the resist of the translucent paste in others. And, being liquid, they also occasionally seeped under the crackle. I really love the imperfections caused - more than happy to embrace the look!

The shatter pattern underneath disappeared slightly, but I decided to mount the whole thing on a jumbo tag using the same stencil. As well as the Wild Honey and Rusty Hinge, there's also some Vintage Photo and Spiced Marmalade involved in the background tag.

I spent some time arranging the keys to please the eye.

I love all the different filigree shapes…

Some of them have had a little touch of Florentine Gold Treasure Gold just to warm up the colour tone in order to complement the inks.

…and there's a great variation in sizes - something for every project!

With all that shattered stencilling and the cracked hearts, the sentiment just bubbled up.

I used Distress Stains to dye some Seam Binding for the topping, and secured it with some rustic raffia.

So that's my Funkie Junkie tag for you. Claudia will be here later in the month with Sponsor Spotlight No.3, and if you missed Laura's amazing Dylusions tutorial, check it out here.

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Don't forget to check out this month's challenge to be in with a chance of winning the $25 gift voucher for The Funkie Junkie Boutique.

We are Going Rust-ic this month - so get out those rusty shades of ink and paint, or show us your favourite faux-rust technique. Perhaps you might like to show us some real rust! No matter how rusty you are, we would love to see your rusty creations.